OUT AND ABOUT with DAN GUERRERO 2.11.12

March 11, 2012 by

Greg Nava & Lupe Ontiveros

¡HOLA TODOS! – MALDEF prexy Tom Saenz hosted a special screening of a new film that revealed a piece of Mexican history unknown to me and to others I’ve asked. Never too viejo to learn, I guess. Andy Garcia, Eduardo Verastegui, Peter O’Toole and Eva Longoria star in FOR GREATER GLORY (CRISTIADA – THE STRUGGLE TO BELIEVE) from Executive Producer Pablo Barroso. http://www.cristiadafilm.com It’s the epic story of the Cristeros War of the late 1920s, not long after the Mexican Revolution. This “holy war” was an uprising and rebellion against the government’s attempt to secularize Mexico, if you can imagine this deeply Catholic country murdering priests and destroying churches. No big surprise Mejicanos y Mejicanas fought back and Mexico once again found itself in a full fledged civil war. The film is lushly photographed with a sweeping score by James Horner (TITANIC, AVATAR) and the actors all deliver. Fave thing about screenings is running into friends like filmmaker Gregory Nava (EL NORTE, MI FAMILIA, SELENA) and actress Lupe Ontiveros currently in the TV series, ROB. Schedules in this town are so crazy, we’d never see each other if not for opening nights, fundraisers and screenings.

¡MAS HOLLYWOOD! – Looks like the life of Cesar Chavez is finally coming to the screen directed by actor Diego Luna. CHAVEZ stars Michael Peña (CRASH, TOWER HEIST) as the labor organizer with America Ferrera (UGLY BETTY) co-starring as Chavez’s wife Helen and Rosario Dawson (RENT, MEN IN BLACK II) as UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta. This one has been a long time coming with several top directors interested in bringing Cesar’s story to the screen since his passing in 1993. Shooting begins next month in Sonora, Mexico. Luna must like bio pics. His first directorial gig was the documentary JC CHAVEZ about the life of Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez. And he must like stories about men named Chavez? ¡HASTA PRONTO!

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